The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Ended How It Started—With a Stumble

The hugely-anticipated Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show aired Tuesday after being recorded in Shanghai last week. While viewers were excited to see what this year’s show had in store, there was one feature they did not expect: the inclusion of model Ming Xi’s fall.

The model made headlines last week after news broke that she had slipped and fallen on the catwalk after her heel got caught in her skirt. But rather than edit the fall out of the telecast, CBS not only included the footage, but also spliced in audio commentary from the producers, saying, “Ming is down!” and “Can she get up? Is she okay?” What’s more, CBS cameras followed Xi backstage as she cried and was consoled by the other Victoria’s Secret models.

Chinese model Ming Xi falls as she presents a creation during the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai on November 20, 2017. Fred Dufour—AFP/Getty Images

Nevertheless, the model handled her fall and the ensuing media frenzy with grace. She posted a photo from the show to her Instagram with a caption that read, “As many of you may already know, I fell during my 5th year walking at the Victoria’s Secret show yesterday. It was no doubt one of the hardest moments I have ever had to go through in my career, especially since the show was taking place in my hometown, in front of my mother’s and my people’s eyes. However, the support I received from everyone yesterday was incredible and I am truly grateful to everyone who was there for me.” She ended by saying, “I will pick myself up from where I fell, and I will keep going in order to repay all the support you all have given me!!”

Model Ming Xi Mengyao attends the press conference of film “This is not What I Expected” on April 24, 2017 in Shanghai. VCG via Getty Images

VCG VCG via Getty Images

Putting on this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai was not without its own stumbles. A number of models and scheduled performers were denied visas, causing a headache for the show’s producers. But as CBS said in a tweet following Xi’s fall, “It’s not about how we fall, it’s about how we get up.” And get up they did.